He wasn’t in our list of the Kansas City Chiefs 2017 free agents. He had reportedly signed a three-year deal in 2015 so we thought he had one more year under contract after missing all of last season with a hip injury.

That is wrong. BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com put out the official list of Chiefs free agents and Mauga’s name is listed. So, yeah, that’s confirmed. He’s scheduled to be a free agent in March.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have ended whatever suspense there might have been about the identity of their starting quarterback in 2017. General manager John Dorsey recently said that Alex Smith “absolutely” would be the starter when the Chiefs begin play next season.
“We’ve said all along he’s the starter," Dorsey said. “I don’t know what more you want to say. We have a playoff team. He’s led this franchise to three playoff seasons out of four, which is pretty good in my eyes."
<img class=" lazyloaded imageLoaded " data-image-container=".inline-photo">Tyler Bray has spent four seasons with the Chiefs but never played in a regular-season game. Denny Medley/USA TODAY SportsSo forget about the Chiefs pursuing Tony Romo, which seemed a long shot to begin with because of his massive contract. It also would rule out Nick Foles, last season’s backup. The NFL Network reported the Chiefs would decline to pick up the option on the final season of Foles’ contract, which is no surprise given their public stance on Smith.
Otherwise, the Chiefs still have work to do at quarterback. Their other QBs are Tyler Bray and Joel Stave. Bray has been with the Chiefs four seasons, though he never has played in a regular-season game. The Chiefs obviously see potential in the talented Bray. They’ve kept him around a long time despite little return and at one point even extended his contract and bumped his salary before such a move became necessary.
But the fact the Chiefs felt it necessary to sign Foles as their backup last summer would indicate they weren’t comfortable at that point, at least, with Bray as their No. 2 quarterback.
Stave joined the Chiefs on their practice squad last year.
So the Chiefs have a veteran in Smith and a couple of developmental candidates in Bray and Stave. Look for them to add at least one more quarterback, whether that’s a veteran or a draft pick, before practice begins in the spring.

Now four years in, Chiefs quarterback Tyler Bray eager to prove growth

So far, the only passes quarterback Tyler Bray has thrown in a game for the Chiefs have come in the preseason.

Tyler Bray spent the entirety of the 2016 offseason — and the first week or so of training camp — attempting to hold off Aaron Murray for the Chiefs’ No. 2 quarterback job.
Bray achieved that goal … sort of. While he did not win the backup job due to the surprise arrival of former Pro Bowler Nick Foles, Bray did remain on the roster at the 53-man deadline in early September, unlike Murray and 2016 fifth-round pick Kevin Hogan, who were both released.
And while the 25-year-old Bray surely hoped to win the No. 2 job, the former Tennessee star — who spent his first three years in the league as an apprentice behind veterans Alex Smith and Chase Daniel — certainly wouldn’t call the increased reps he got last summer a waste.
“Just (learning) how to prepare,” Bray said at his locker after the season. “If you prepare over the top, you get into the game and … I don’t want to say it’s easy, but it becomes second nature — you’re reacting instead of overthinking.”

The mental part of the game has always been the big question mark for the 6-foot-6, 215-pounder, who boasts tremendous size and a cannon for an arm. For years, he’s consistently shown a desire and ability in open practices to connect on the deep ball, a real weapon in today’s football. The Chiefs, in fact, saw enough raw talent in Bray to sign him to a two-year extension in September 2015.
However, that deal runs out after the 2017 season, which means Bray is again on the clock to show what he can do, a process that won’t get any easier for him if the Chiefs, who may lose Foles this offseason, decide to invest a high draft pick on a quarterback.
But if that comes to pass, Bray will have a four-year head start on whoever enters the mix.
Bray’s ability to process what he sees on the field and make good decisions will ultimately determine his ceiling, but he’s worked on these issues with the same coaching staff for years, which is an unusual boon in today’s “win-now” NFL.
“We’ve always talked about competitiveness, and I think Tyler has demonstrated that,” general manager John Dorsey explained after the decision to keep Bray over Murray. “He’s been in the system for three years. He has deep knowledge of it. I think he has the arm talent.”
Dorsey added that Bray separated himself from Murray and Hogan in the fourth preseason game, when he completed 10 of 17 passes for 104 yards. Bray missed the two previous games due to injury, but it was certainly an improvement from his performance in the preseason opener, when he was a little wild and completed just 3 of 9 passes for 48 yards.
“Early in the preseason I got a little excited, I was throwing the ball a little too hard,” Bray said. “I just had to settle down and throw the ball to the playmakers.”
When the season began, Bray’s reps dropped significantly as Smith (and to a lesser extent, Foles) commanded the lion’s share of the team’s limited practice reps. Nevertheless, Bray is confident he’s taken significant strides when it comes to the mental part of the game.
“You’ve got to put yourself in Alex or Nick’s shoes when they’re in there taking reps, so you just visualize what’s going on with the play and where you would go in that situation,” Bray said.
More than that, Bray says he can now spit out Reid’s lengthy play calls — and with some flair, too.
“We can call a play (without) the formation, and I already know in my head what the formation is, so if the headset ever goes out, I’m good to go,” Bray said. “In training camp, I could remember it … it’s just the first couple of years, I was trying to learn the plays.”
When the season came to a close following a divisional-round loss to Pittsburgh, Bray said he planned to spend the offseason in Fresno, Calif., where he works out.
When he returns for the start of the offseason workout program in mid-April, he’ll be eager to show how much he’s improved while taking “mental reps” in practice.
“I think I’ve grown a lot when it comes to understanding the offense … from the first couple of years where I was still trying to figure things out,” Bray said. “Now, I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp on everything.”

The Chiefs won't be involved in any hypothetical Tony Romo pursuit according to their GM

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the top teams being mentioned when it comes to possible landing spots for likely free agentTony Romo. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora previously reported K.C. would be one of Romo’s preferential destinations, even though Alex Smith is on the roster.
But John Dorsey, without actually mentioning Romo, shut the door on any speculation, telling CBS Sports that Smith is unequivocally his starter in 2017.
“Here’s what the best part of it is. How strong of an endorsement can you have when the owner, the head coach and the general manager all say, “You’re my starter in 2017,’” Dorsey said.
Asked if it’s “case closed” on any future rumors, Dorsey didn’t hesitate.
“Case closed,” the GM said.
Smith has been a fine quarterback for the Chiefs since being acquired in a February 2013 trade from the 49ers. But he’s not a “take the top off” type of quarterback either, and many see him as a game manager, even if that’s a mean way of describing a guy who doesn’t turn the ball over and operates efficiently if not explosively.
The Chiefs were the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs last year after winning the AFC West. They fell short in January when they lost to the Steelers, despite limiting Pittsburgh to only field goals in the game.
Many believe adding Romo would allow the Chiefs, who have developed an impressive array of offensive weapons in Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Spencer Ware and Jeremy Maclin, to really take the next leap offensively.
Andy Reid isn’t shy about mixing it up either, and is wholly willing to make a drastic change at quarterback. It was a hallmark of his career in Philadelphia, and even the Smith trade was a bold move (the Chiefs gave up two second-round picks for Smith, who was behind Colin Kaepernick at the time, which is weird to think about now).
But for now, according to the GM, there isn’t any change happening at quarterback in Kansas City.